Dulac Doesn’t Think Steelers Are ‘Ready’ To Move On From RB Kaleb Johnson

After a lackluster rookie year and similar second training camp, the writing feels on the wall for Pittsburgh Steelers RB Kaleb Johnson. Buried on the depth chart with even reps hard to come by the odds are increasing that he’s playing elsewhere to begin 2026. The PPG’s Gerry Dulac, however, thinks the Steelers won’t cut ties with Johnson just yet.

“I’m not sure where he fits, but when it’s a third-round pick, your second pick overall, I don’t think they’re ready to move on from him after one year,” Dulac told 102.5 DVE Monday morning. “But we’ll see.”

Johnson entered training camp on the roster bubble. Even with the benefits a new coaching staff brings, Johnson still has to prove himself to the group. His camp did not meet that mark. He’s slowly descended down the depth chart and lost reps throughout the summer.

During the Steelers’ preseason opener, Johnson played just one series and carried the ball only twice while logging only a handful of special teams snaps. Rookie Eli Heidenreich, despite hardly practicing on the days leading up to the game, closed out the fourth quarter with nine carries. In Sunday’s practice, Johnson ran at the bottom of the depth chart seeing carries behind every other running back on the roster: Rico Dowdle, Jaylen Warren, Travis Homer, Lew Nichols, and Heidenreich.

Even as Dulac kept the door open for Johnson to stick, he acknowledged his camp has done little to compel the team to hold onto him.

“You watch him day in and day out in practice. It’s not that he’s impressive, but you will see somebody dart through the line and go, ‘Whoa, what was that? Who was that?’ And you look and it’s [No.] 20. My point is, you see what they like in him, but don’t see enough of it. And I don’t know where he’s gonna get the opportunity with two running backs like Warren and Dowdle in front of him unless there’s an injury.”

It’s unusual for any team to cut a third-round pick before their sophomore season. The Steelers haven’t done it since OG Kraig Urbik. But if Johnson’s only claim to the roster is his draft status, a point that matters even less to a coaching staff that did not select him, it reinforces the point of why Johnson is on the outs.

Unless something dramatic changes, it’s difficult to see Johnson making the roster. Pittsburgh’s best move would be to trade him for a late Day 3 pick to a team that was interested in him ahead of last year’s draft. With limited running back depth, the Dallas Cowboys are a possible landing spot.

Despite Dulac’s underlying belief that the team simply isn’t “ready” to move on from Johnson, every sign this summer is telling a different story.